For the last time this season, the two Young Driver AMR-Aston Martin DBR9 are transported to the racetrack by the bright yellow Young Driver AMR-trucks. Before the second season of the GT1 World Championship concludes with three races overseas, to which the cars will be shipped by boat, the French round at the Paul Ricard HTTT (High Tech Test Track) in Le Castellet at the French Riviera marks the last European stop of the championship. In the south of France, Young Driver AMR and it’s four drivers Alex Müller (GER)/ Tomas Enge (CZE) and Stefan Mücke (GER)/ Darren Turner (GBR) aim to bring themselves in a good position in the championship, before the GT1-tour heads overseas.

After a tough weekend in Spain only ten days ago, the Paul Ricard HTTT in Le Castellet will be another challenge for Young Driver AMR. “The weather will play a major part this weekend”, Young Driver AMR-team principal Hardy Fischer says. “If it’s hot down there, like at Navarra, it can be difficult for us. Last year we had a good speed at Le Castellet, but had some technical issues. If it isn’t too hot, I hope for a good result, that will keep us in contention to the championship leaders.”

Before the French round of the GT1 World championship, Young Driver AMR is fourth in the team championship. Mücke/Turner are sixth in the driver’s championship with Müller/Enge one spot behind.

Driver quotes before the race:

Alex Müller (#7 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9): “Paul Ricard is a really nice track, I raced there with Young Driver AMR in April. My teammates, who raced there last season with Aston Martin, told me it’s not an ideal track for our Aston Martin DBR9. After a tough weekend with much bad luck in Spain, I hope for better luck in France. In Spain we also had 30kg ballast on board, in France we now run ballast-free and should be more competitive. I hope for a clean race and looking forward to improve our position in the championship.”

Tomáš Enge (#7 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9): “As we know from the past, the car works very good in cool conditions and we hope for cool weather in France. We have a very good aero and good power, but this is effect by the weather. If it’s hot at Paul Ricard it will be difficult for us. Otherwise I hope that we can grab some points.”

Stefan Mücke (#8 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9): “Some parts of the track really suit our Aston Martin, but there are also some very long straights, which are not so good for us. Tire performance will be an issue, too. There are some very fast corners at Paul Ricard where it’s not possible to save the tires. In Spain we struggled with the very high temperatures, but if it’s cool in France, we might have a have chance for a podium finish, if we have two trouble free races.”

Darren Turner (#8 Young Driver-Aston Martin DBR9): „Paul Ricard is not the strongest circuit for us, but we will do the best we can. It would be very nice to get some points there after a tough weekend in Navarra, which really dented our chances in the championship.”